Reversal
by Dcal
Summary: Sora always thought that by being Riku's protector, he could always stay by his best friend's side. But, will Sora ever realise that Riku doesn't need to be protected anymore? Will that mean Sora has to leave Riku? RS
1. Default Chapter

**Reversal **

Dcal's note:

This chapter is just a short introductory chapter to set the background to the rest of the story. Setting is on Destiny Islands, pre KH. The characters featured in this particular chapter are aged 5 for Sora and Selphie, 6 for Riku(well, you get the picture). However, this is just a prologue for the main story so it is set in the past. In the next chapter, it would be ten years from this starting.

The idea for this fic is adapted from a story I read from Yuki Midorikawa's collection of short manga stories. The title of the original story roughly translates to "Decending Leaves"

Standard disclaimers apply.

- - - - -

"_Stay away from my friend!" Sora exclaimed at the top of his voice._

_The three bigger boys, encircled around Riku, turned to see a squirrel-like ball rushing towards them. The leader of the trio held Riku's long silver braid in his sweaty palm and thus was the recipient of Sora's amateur karate kick. Though the impact was not that significant, it did cause the former to let go of Riku's hair. Sora delivered two weak punches (that probably hurt him more than his 'victims') into the sidekicks' stomach. While the three bullies were distracted by their irritation to have the most unlikely protector interrupt their money-extorting activities, _

_Sora took Riku's pale hand and ran like hell. _

_It didn't matter that Riku kept tripping and falling due to the inability to keep up with Sora who was NOT in stockings and petticoats._

_- - -_

_The sky was set ablaze by the setting sun. The clouds turned shades of pink and orange as they drifted, carried by the evening wind. A cool kiss of summer's breeze felt good upon Sora's wet forehead. _

_They had stopped running after they had arrived at the field before the forest. Sora thought it safe as no one could see two tired boys lying on their backs, among the waist high grass. Sora was sprawled upon his back with his hand, still holding Riku's slender fingers, on his chest. Riku also lay flat against the bed of grass, within arms length of Sora. He could feel each burst of energy through the strong heartbeats from under the tips of his fingers clamped on Sora upper torso. _

_Sora turned his head to find an imploring gaze, the colour of the greenest blue, peeking from lowered lashes. The smile on the young boy's face faded into a concerned frown as he noticed the faint bruise forming upon Riku's pale cheek. Riku's eyes widen as Sora suddenly clamored to an upright position. The brilliant blue of a summer's afternoon flashed with resolution. It blinded Riku. Gingerly, Sora thumbed the soft skin that had suffered from a callous punch. _

"_Don't worry Riku. I won't let them treat you this way anymore. I promise."_

- - -

Selphie crept behind Sora, who was hiding behind a row of lush green rose bushes.

"What are you doing?" whispered the little girl clad in a striking ensemble of a duckling yellow jumper and matching ribbons (that hung untied) in her air.

"Protecting Riku," replied Sora, his gaze focused unwavering at the elaborately carved door.

Selphie's curiousity was ignited. "You mean the Riku who lives behind that door?"

Sora nodded.

"The Riku who is the only son of the richest people on this island?"

Sora nodded again.

"And," Selphie paused before confirming once again, "Is he the Riku that lives behind the door behind that really really tall solid iron gate which is the only entrance unless someone decides to climb those very very tall brick walls and can escape the five fierce doggies as well and not be seen from the twelve guards posted around the whole compound which is roughly the size of your house, plus my house, multiplied by ten?"

Sora just nodded his head in reply.

An incredulous look spread itself cheekily around Selphie's face. "Are you kidding me?"

"No." A simple yet convicted reply.

- - -

"Mommy, how do you spell stronger?' asked the frustrated blue-eyed boy.

"S-t-r-o-n-g-er,". said the boy's mother patiently as she put away the plates she had just washed and dried. "Why do you ask Sora?"

"Wakka asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up, I couldn't decide. He asked me to think about it and write it on a piece of paper so that I won't forget." '

Sora lowered his head down and concentrated on writing down the thought that had occurred to him:

_I have decided! I want to become stonger. So I can protect Riku when he is in danger!_


	2. Lost Beginning

Reversal: Lost beginning

(standard disclaimers apply, in other words, I don't own Riku, Sora or any of the other KH characters.)

"Itsu no ma ni atashi wa, Konna ni yowaku natta no darou"

                                        -When did I become this weak?

_Bag, Check…._

_Towel, Check…_

_Shoes, Check…_

_Did I miss anything?_

_Smile, Check…_

A sloppy sling bag hung precariously on one shoulder and a slightly damp towel draped limp upon the other. A head of toffee coloured spikes, tapered wet at each individual point, bobbed together with a tuneless hum that escaped upwardly curved lips. What could only be described as "humongous" shoes, clunked ungracefully upon the cement floor.

Blue gaze catches the silver glint in the distance.

Sprint.

Figure in the distance grows closer.

Smile, Check… 

"Riku! RiKU!"

Older boy doesn't look up from his book.

"I am making dumplings! Do you want to come over to my house for dinner?!"

Soft jingles of silver chains against red fabric.

"I can't go. I have to attend a blitzball council meeting. So I will not be home till late."

Silver fringe fell forth, but aquamarine eyes do not see the blocked words.

"I will wait outside the stadium! Let's go home together!"

An enthusiastic offer.

"No, with Wakka chairing the meeting, it will surely last till midnight. You should go back first."

Cold concern.

"Hah! That's even worst. The later it get, the more dangerous it may be. What if something bad happened… no no… knock wood."

Warm concern.

Frustrated eyes look into innocent blues.

"Nothing will happen!"

Silence. Awkward. Silence.

"Don't you want to go home with me?"

Disappointment.

"I… I didn't say that… I just…"

Shrug.

"I know. I will go home first…"

Nonchalance.

"Not through the window! Damn it!"

"Riku, BaKa!"

Riku stands up.

"You're the idiot!"

Softly.

"Sora."

He disappears.

---

The wan silver of the moon could not be compared to the shimmer of Riku's silver hair. Nine years have past since the time he had met Sora. And it was only then, did Riku have the courage to stand up to his parents. He remembered…

  "_…. Why do you have girly hair Riku?" Sora asked as his wide blue eyes reflected the silver from the braid his gaze was focused upon._

_Riku retorted, "Why do you have spikey hair Sora?"_

_"Huh?" the famous porcupine head tore his gaze from the neatly plaited braid into Riku's aquamarine eyes._

_Then Sora laughed as he sheepishly ruffled his own gravity defying spikes. Riku smiled as he looked at his newfound friend. There was a certain affinity between them. Which is why Riku spoke of what he felt, instead of adopting a mature silence that did injustice to his young nature. _

_"I don't like my hair."_

_Sora stopped laughing. _

_"My parents say that it is safer that I pretend to be a girl."_

_Innocent Sora could not help but stare at Riku's rose pink sundress. _

_"They have too much money. It's better if I am a girl so the relatives will not fight."_

_Naïve indignation would not be denied._

_"How can your parents do this to you? How can they make you unhappy?"_

_Riku just shrugged. _

_"Can't you tell them you are not happy?"_

_"I don't get to really talk to them."_

_Eyes widened in shock._

_"They are never around enough."_

_Sora's chubby fingers caught hold of Riku's pale hands. _

_"It's okay then. You can talk to me instead!"_

_ ---_

Riku had been deeply moved by Sora's selfless affections. With renewed self-confidence, he refused to obey his parents' wishes and took to wearing nothing if forced into those darn petticoats.  His parents were quite upset but they relented to their only heir's request, only after Riku's blatant act of rebellion by shearing off his waist long braid (with the help from Sora of course). Also, Sora brought Riku home and introduced the shy boy to his parents, who immediately took a liking to Sora's pretty friend.

Since then, Riku had been adopted into Sora's loving family. Even after loss of Sora's father, his mother still welcomed him with open arms because Riku had become family. Despite protest from his housekeeper and servants (the utter shock at their young master mingling with poor commoners), Riku refused to give up the love and warmth he felt from Sora's family. The cold mansion was never home to him. Home was where Sora was.

Well, this was the case up till recently.

---

Riku paused in his step. With a sigh, he spoke, "Sora, I thought I told you to go home first?"

Sora stepped out from behind the street corner. He had thought his hiding position was well shadowed and Riku should not have discovered his secret guarding. " Ah, how did you know I was hiding? Maybe I haven't trained enough neh?"

"Humph, that's not the only area you need training in," drawled Riku.

" Well, we are having dumplings for dinner! Dumplings! Yummy dumplings! Ah!" Sora stopped hopping around and turned towards Riku, " I need more training in making dumplings! I need to learn how to make different types of dumplings, right?"

" What you need is common sense you dolt. Common sense and the ability to think sometimes." Riku's cold comment could not douse Sora's excitement at having dumplings for dinner.

Sora just flashed his trademark smile that shone through the dimly light night. Riku responded with a faint curve of the lips.

They had dumplings for dinner that night.

Dcal's note: Decided rant at the end of this sad excuse of a chapter. I deliberately kept it short because I used different writing styles and if I put in too much you might just get confused. This chapter is suppose to portray the present and include a bit more background information into the character's relationship and sorts. Also to cement the character's personalities. There is more dialogue and fewer descriptions so that the story actually gets moving. Hopefully, there will be more illustration of the setting and stuff in the next chapter. Gomen if you find my language erratic. Blame it on MS Word; it's my only justification for a beta reader. Review if you like. It really bolsters my ego and keeps me going. - Or just make me happy by reading my other KH fics. And thank you if you have been constantly keeping note of my writing . You know who you are.


	3. Imminent Change

Reversal: Imminent Change  
  
Standard Disclaimers.... Apply....  
  
- - -  
  
Kairi was puzzled.  
  
She did not know why Sora and Riku could become such close, yet distant friends. Close? Well, Sora is always around Riku. They have been together for so long that they have become synonymous with each other. For example when teams were picked to play blitzball, Sora and Riku would always be on the same team. (This is because everyone knows that if they separated the two, Sora will unwittingly be playing to Riku's advantage.) Another example would be asking Sora where Riku was. Sora always knew where his best friend would be (Which is a reason why Riku dislikes playing hide and seek). But there is a distance between the two. It was not obvious before but recently; Kairi could sense that Riku has been widening the gap between him and his younger friend. And Kairi wanted to know why.  
  
So she decided to ask around.  
  
-...........................................  
  
Selphie was juggling three Popsicles (Strawberry, Lemon and Grape) when Kairi found her along the edge of her favourite deserted pier. The more sensible Tidus, was seated next to the younger girl, and contented with a single vanilla flavoured ice-cream cone. Wakka, on the other hand, had a whole tub of coconut-flavoured ice cream on his lap and was happily having scoops of the dessert.  
  
"Hey Kairi!" exclaimed Selphie as she jumped up from her spot while waving her Popsicles at the same time.  
  
Tidus nimbly ducked the colourful spray of melted ice but Wakka did not move in time and was "blessed" with spots of pink, yellow and purple. Selphie immediately regretted her rash action and struggled to make up for her mistake. But in the process of helping poor Wakka in removing the sticky syrup off his orange hair with a crumpled napkin that Tidus offered, Selphie accidentally dropped a Popsicle (Grape) into his tub of creamy coconut desert. The horror on Wakka's face was hilarious. If there were one thing that Wakka did not like, it would be someone tainting his beloved ice- cream treat.  
  
Kairi could barely stifle her giggles at the exaggerated contortions of Wakka's usually smiley face. And she broke out into full-fledged laughter when the other Popsicle (strawberry), slipped from Selphie's hands and fell with a splat next to the melted pool of purple within Wakka's tub.  
  
Tidus, obviously used to such scenarios, handled the situation perfectly. In the midst of Selphie's high pitched apologies and Wakka's cries of anguish, Tidus calmly finished the last of his waffle cone and caught the yellow Popsicle before it landed with its other two counterparts with the coconut cream. With a sigh of resignation, he lifted the smaller Selphie away from Wakka before the carrot top committed manslaughter to one of his female friends. Tidus decided to play it safe and also move Kairi to a safe spot in case she became a casualty of Wakka's revenge.  
  
Wakka's anguish did not last long but his smile did not return. All he could do was stare at the convoluted pool of syrup and mourn for the pristine whiteness of his lost coconut ice cream. Selphie, for once, remained silent as she hid behind the still tickled Kairi. Tidus rolled his eyes.  
  
"Wakka."  
  
"...."  
  
"Wakka, listen to me," persuaded Tidus gently.  
  
"... ," the chunky teen torn his gaze from his tainted desert and looked into his friend's calm blue eyes.  
  
"Why are you sad?"  
  
"My coconut is gone mon. Gone ya... gone..."  
  
"But," Tidus took the tub away from Wakka, "Doesn't it give you a reason to get a new tub of ice-cream?"  
  
It took quite a while but the light of enlightenment did create a sparkle in Wakka's eyes.  
  
"Ya mon! I can go get another one of them Coconut cream eh?"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Tidi mon! You are a Genius!"  
  
Selphie breathed a sigh of relief to see the smile return onto its familiar place upon Wakka's tanned face.  
  
Tidus also smiled as he turned to Kairi, "Sorry about that, Wakka gets a little bit cranky if he doesn't get to finish a tub of his favourite ice- cream after he had had fish and chips for lunch. I think you should have some reason for coming here?"  
  
Kairi's face was flushed red after the last five minutes of vigorous laughter. She struggled for a breath not peppered with giggles before she replied Tidus who waited patiently for her response. Selphie took this interval to approach Wakka cautiously and offer him her deepest apologies. She promised Wakka that he could charge his desert to her bill. Wakka patted Selphie on the head and forgive her. And Kairi finally managed to gather herself together.  
  
"It's okay." Kairi offered a parable, "I tend to get a bit agitated too when Sora mixes my mango pudding with almond syrup. Well, I wanted to ask you three something serious. It's about Sora and Riku."  
  
For a moment, all thoughts of ice-cream disappeared.  
  
The brunette, the red head and the blond all exchanged knowing glances.  
  
It seems that Kairi was not the only one who noticed the growing rift between Sora and Riku.  
  
............................................... Selphie was at the counter of Destiny's Café and using her innocent charms to distract Ms Destiny while the others sat down at a table situated at a secluded corner of the small café. (Refer to "Mr Destiny Island chapter 3" for the background of Destiny's Café)  
  
Kairi decided to dive straight into the issue, "Riku has been avoiding Sora."  
  
Both Tidus and Wakka nodded.  
  
"It's strange isn't it? Hasn't Riku always been reluctant to separate himself from Sora? Why is he avoiding his best friend now? And I think Sora is feeling down because he thinks Riku too busy with other things. He does not realize that Riku is purposely getting himself involved in things just to avoid poor Sora."  
  
"I was quite surprised when Riku volunteered to join the Blitzball committee. You know and I know that Riku rarely wants to take up troublesome responsibilities. So when he asked Wakka and I whether he could take up the post as committee sectary, I was so shocked that I said yes."  
  
"Ya mon. Tidi told me and I was stoned eh. Riku was the least likely person I would have thought wanted the job. I did ask the mon why he wanted the post but he just said he wanted to do something for the Blitzball team. Everymon knows that Riku doesn't do anything without Sora. So I offered to give Sora a post too. Ya know, maybe the little spike can be assistant secretary or something ya? But Riku just frowned and said that it was not necessary. Wakka thinks that there is something wrong with what Riku feels for Sora. Riku gets that torn look on his face when we mention Sora ya?"  
  
Tidus nodded in agreement. The two blitzballers have noticed that Riku wouldn't look Sora in the eye or talk to Sora either. Usually, it would just be Sora chattering away to Riku who would be silently listening. However, things have changed and Sora will still be chattering away but Riku would not be listening. Riku just was not around Sora anymore.  
  
Selphie returned from the counter with a tray laden with freshly made confectionaries.  
  
"How did Riku and Sora met?" Kairi asked.  
  
She figured that to get to the root of the problem, she should have to know everything about the two. Starting from the beginning was a good idea.  
  
"mwell, Tora m Fiku fett fan duay meforre duh adurift...."Selphie muttered through a mouth full of eggtarts.  
  
"Slowly Selphie, don't talk while you are eating. You don't want to choke do you?" mothered Kairi as she pat the younger girl's head.  
  
"I think what Selphie is trying to say is that you are probably curious why Riku and Sora would end up together. They are practically polar opposites. I think... it was three, four years before you arrived on the island. Am I right? "Tidus asked  
  
Both Wakka and Selphie nodded.  
  
"We don't know how they met exactly. What we know is derived from bits and pieces of gossip. Well, it seem to have started when Riku was sneaked out of his house..."  
  
"... you know, that huge mansion on the offside of the island..."  
  
"... with them dogs..."  
  
"... Sora happened to be in the area..."  
  
"... he was about to go fishing, I remember..."  
  
"....Ya mon... bad mon came and wanted to take Riku away..."  
  
........................................... Tidus, Selphie and Wakka took their turns at retelling the their tale.  
  
And it left Kairi quite confused by the multiple narrations.  
  
It took a while but Kairi did manage to grasp the history behind her two male friends.  
  
It all started when the clueless Sora was happily making his way to the edge of the island to do a bit of fishing on his own. It was the first time his parents had allowed the young Sora to go catch fish by himself. Sora wanted to catch a really big fish so that he could impress his parents. He had heard before from his friends (namely Wakka) that a good sport for fishing was along the pier beside Riku's house/mansion. However, the place was quite deserted due to fact that the islanders did not dare to wander near Riku's house. They were quite afraid of the strangers within the property's walls because they were of a different class. They were rich and influential. The simple island folk could not handle this kind of high- society people thus did their best to avoid them. Sora had no qualms of venturing to the deserted corner of the island in hopes of returning home with a big catch. To Sora, making his parents proud (he thought he could do so by catching a big fish, preferably a shark) was more important than caring about whether Riku's family was rich or not.  
  
Now, it so happened that as Sora was walking along the tall walls that surrounded the mansion's compound, he stumbled across Riku being kidnapped. (This was before the twelve guards and security cameras were put in place. And also why they were employed.)  
  
Although Sora is offten described as obliviously innocent or just outright blur, he was no idiot. When he saw Riku kicking and struggling to be released, Sora knew there was something odd with the scenario. He also thought that the two man manhandling Riku looked like bad guys.  
  
Without much thought, Sora's little fist rammed itself into one of the bad men and his fishing pole found it's way into the other kidnapper's gut. Though the five-year old's punch didn't hurt much, it did cause the two captors to remain shell shock for a few split seconds.  
  
Riku was also surprised to find himself being rescued by another young boy who was probably not much younger than himself. But he recovered from his shock much faster than his two kidnappers. Using this golden opportunity, Riku wriggled himself from the their hold on him and tried to run. However, his kidnappers did recover from their surprise and immediately recaptured Riku.  
  
Sora grabbed hold onto one of the burly man's arm and sank his teeth into the hairy skin. Riku followed his lead and bit into another guy's dark skin. It must have hurt really badly because the two screams of pain could be heard by Sora's father who was on his way to spy on his son's fishing expedition. Sensing that there was something wrong, Sora's father ran towards the sound of wretched cursing that sounded like, "GET OFF ME YOU LITTLE BRAT!"  
  
The two kidnappers tried shaking to two "rabid" children from their arms but to no avail. And when Sora's father found them, the kidnappers got to find out that the minor bites from the two children paled in comparison to the trashing they received from Sora's buff father.  
  
And that was how Sora met Riku. ........................................  
  
"So, what you all are saying is that since the kidnap incident, Sora has been having this notion that he is Riku's protector? You have got to be kidding. Our Sora? Riku can take care of himself. In fact, he should be the one keeping Sora out of trouble..." Kairi's voice trailed off as she felt the hot stares from the other three people seated around the table.  
  
"... is this why Riku is starting to feel so disturbed? Oh gosh, why didn't I notice it before?! Sora is always going on and on about how he wants to make sure whether Riku is safe or whether he is getting stronger.... Damn it, how could I have been so dense?!"  
  
Tidus sighed and explained the situation further; "We think that Riku is started to feel uncomfortable with Sora because Sora still sees himself as the five year old rescuing him. Sora doesn't realizing that the dynamics have changed since then. And you should know how Riku deals with what he cannot handle. Riku is avoiding Sora because he does not know how to treat Sora."  
  
Selphie smiled sadly as she continued, "I cannot stand to see them this way, Kairi..."  
  
"Ya. Riku and Sora are both not happy no longer...."  
  
"We have to do something."  
  
"We should talk to them."  
  
"Wakka and I can handle Sora."  
  
"Then Selphie and I will deal with Riku."  
  
All four nodded and prayed in their hearts.  
  
They hope that they endeavor would work out and they will have two of their friends back again. ................................................  
  
Dcal's note: I really promise that the next chapter will push the story forward instead of digging deeper and deeper into the past. Hoped you liked this chapter though, made it longer than what I usually post.  
  
Edit: Made some changes to the grammar and stuff... I realize how careless I was... urgh... 


	4. Recognition

**Reversal: Recognition**  
  
(Standard Disclaimer applies as usual.)

* * *

Sora looked at the lone figure seated on the stretch of golden sand of this memorable part of the island's beach. His ungloved fingers exerted nervous pressure upon the rugged blitzball he held cautiously in front of his waist. A look of uncertainty shadowed the smile that he struggled to keep up. Sora did not know why he kept feeling unusual bothered and nervous around Riku. It was not like this before. In the past, Sora could smile naturally, not putting up a front as he did now.  
  
No one realized that little Sora was hiding behind a mask, behaving far shadier than Riku who was blatantly reacting to the situation by hiding in the open. Unknown to his friends, and of course Riku (who was entangled in his own complicated emotions), Sora knew that Riku was avoiding him. _How could he not realize that his best friend was avoiding him?_ Sora may be naive but he was not insensitive. He was the type of person who reacted by emotions and instinct. Thus, he could sense Riku's retreat into his protective shell. It was just precisely Sora's optimistic and innocent nature that convinced him before that everything would be fine if he ignored it. (It was denial.) However now, deep inside, Sora knew that he and Riku would never be the same again. He recognized this certainty but Sora did not know how to deal with it. So Sora, like Riku, also chose to avoid the problem in his own way: Sora decided to keep on acting as if nothing has changed. And he proved to be a better actor than what his friends give him credit for.  
  
It was getting harder and harder for Sora to keep deceiving himself. The mask was slipping. But even now, he readied himself for the next act.  
  
.........................  
  
"Riku! Riku... I learnt a new Blitzball trick! Do you want to see it? "  
  
Riku looked up from his paperback novel. Silver rimmed glasses slipped a fraction down the slope of his nose. He hurriedly pushed the spectacles up to hide his gaze. From the time Riku realized that he could not look Sora in the eye, he had taken to wearing his low degree reading glasses under the ruse that his eyesight was failing. Riku felt more secure looking at Sora through an objective frame.  
  
Sora noticed Riku's actions and he was aware that he made his friend uncomfortable.  
  
Before Riku could mumble a weak excuse, Sora initiated a new topic, "Ha ha... you're a better blitzballer than I am... I guess you don't need to see me make a fool of myself... ha ha... erm... it's okay... I understand. Okay, erm, what are you reading? Can I take a look?"  
  
The older boy numbly relinquished his hold on his novel to Sora.  
  
Guilt sheared Riku's conscience; it was followed by a dull ache in his heart. He did not like it when Sora put himself down just to ease the tension between them. Sora should not have to be sorry for the situation when it was not the younger boy's fault. But Riku still did not know how to response to how he felt about Sora.  
  
.....................................  
  
Sora frowned over the foreign words written on the back of the book. He had resorted using the diversion tactic to prevent Riku from feeding him yet another excuse to avoid him. He could sense Riku's imploring gaze upon his natural spikes, lowered to read the text upon the glossy back of the novel. To take his mind of the situation, Sora concentrated on reading the blurb describing the book. However, a limited vocabulary prevented him from understanding a single sentence. It struck Sora there and then, the differences between he and Riku.  
  
He felt his eyes hurt from the burning desire to cry, but he swallowed the urge.  
  
Using the last of his determination, Sora flashed Riku a sad smile.  
  
"Interesting.... Erm... book. Ha ha.... I... I shouldn't keep you from it..." his voice shook under the pressure of his emotions.  
  
Half-throwing the book into the arms of a startled Riku, Sora turned and ran. He ran away from the silver moon that shone in the horizon, in the mist of the last of the sun's golden light.  
  
..................................  
  
"Sora, you're back! I got the ingredients you wanted for making dumplings.... Sora?"  
  
Sora ran past his mother and up to his room. He slammed the door to show a rare bit of tantrum. His mother wisely chose to leave her son to have the isolation he so clearly seeked.Only when Sora heard the mechanism of the lock click into place did he relax his tense nerves. He felt himself slip to end up seated, his back against the old wood of his bedroom door.  
  
Riku had changed so rapidly while he struggled in his silver friend's wake.  
  
Back then: _It was he who taught Riku the rules of playing Blitzball. It was he who fought away the bullies who laughed at his older friend for being the "girly-boy". It was he who fought imaginary monsters who tried to hurt Riku's dreams at night. It used to be him.  
  
_But now: _It was Riku who scored the winning goals. It was Riku who taught him how to calculate the complicated equations was needed to bake a cake he wanted. It was Riku who took down the last bottle of milk from the shelf for him because he was not tall enough to reach the top shelf. It was no longer him.  
_  
He clung to the worn out ball within his arms. As he stared at the roughen texture of the sphere, he realized that it was peppered with wet stains that kept multiplying. Sora was crying.  
  
.................................  
  
Riku took off his glasses.  
  
His gloved fingers unconsciously played with the thin glass. Riku did not know whether it had happened or whether it was just a figment of his unreliable imagination. When he saw the gloss in those baby blue eyes, Riku felt his heart shatter. And fear overtook his rationality, making him stay concrete where he sat, not daring to chase after the boy who ran away. Shattered glass easily cut its way through the black fabric to harm the pale skin hidden within. The silver-haired boy looked down to see blood slowly stain the transparency of the shards of ruined glass.  
  
Riku could not feel any physical pain because the emotional hurt he had inflicted upon Sora felt more painful than the throbbing of broken skin.  
  
...................................  
  
He stumbled as he tried to stand up, abandoning the ball to bounce off into a darkened corner of the room. Using the back of his hands, Sora wiped the tears from his eyes. His face was dried; traces that he had cried were removed. All that was left was a pair of brilliant blue eyes that shone with fierce determination. They found the illuminating light from the moon that could be clearly seen from the tall windows next to Sora's bed.  
  
Though his voice was strained and still shook with emotion, Sora silently swore, "I will become stronger."  
  
Sora wanted to become stronger. Only a stronger Sora could protect and lookout for Riku. Being stronger was the only way Sora knew he could stay by Riku's side.

* * *

Dcal's note: Felt that it would be unfair updating "Silver Lining" while this fic was being left on the shelf gathering dust. I can safely say that I have pushed the story to a third of completion. I hope that this chapter was not to saddening. I felt quite sad while thinking of how to describe the way Sora and Riku felt. I guess what I am trying to prove in this chapter is that Sora is not as oblivious and clueless as he had seemed to be. Banzai for Sora-chan ! 


	5. Please Look at Me?

**Reversal: _Please look at me?_**  
  
(Standard Disclaimers apply = KH is not mine.)

* * *

_The sun and wind were feeling ambitious and determined to battle the curtains that kept the room in a comforting darkness. The lightweight cotton curtains put up a good fight but were unable to protect the light from invading the inner threshold of the room with the aid from the mischievous wind. Upon a tousled bed, lay a figure unaware of the conflict occurring over him. He felt the playful light kiss shadows from his face. It was encouraging him to wake up. However, he just could not bring himself to face reality so soon. The vestige of dreamless sleep was enticing as it allowed him to forget what had happened. Unwillingly, his lashes fluttered and his eyes hurt from the triumphant sunlight. His mouth formed a rebellious pout as he thought to himself how he had come to dislike the cheery mornings._  
  
..............................  
  
Being tall had its advantages and it helped Wakka locate the elusive Sora, who was seated upon the wooden tower, facing the mid-morning sea. Tidus struggled to understand what the chunky carrot top was rattling about as Wakka excitedly dragged him him across the sandy beach. It was only when Tidus also spotted two distinctively luminous beacons of submarine yellow did he realize that Wakka had not gone crazy but was actually pulling him towards the direction of the owner of those horrendously bright shoes.  
  
The wooden rungs made faint creaking noises as they bravely took on the weight of Wakka and Tidus. As they plopped down on either side of their smaller friend, the two buff blitz ballers took up most of the space on the wooden platform and it was a wonder how the tower managed not to tilt forward from the excess weight. Sora did not notice presence of his two blitz ball mates seated by him. He was engrossed with the blues and greens of the mid-morning waters. It reminded him of a similar pair of eyes that he had not seen for a while.  
  
"Sora..."  
  
Sora did not respond, he thought it was the wind.  
  
Wakka rolled his eyes, "Yo mon!"  
  
This time, Sora was not so sure it was the wind. He took his gaze off the mesmerizing sea and turned to the voice calling him.  
  
Sora did not really imagine anyone finding him up in the tower and he was not prepared to see Wakka's smiling face. He did not have a chance to put up a happy charade and quickly turned his face from the older boy, hoping that Wakka did not notice the sadness on his face. Little did he expect to see Tidus sitting on his other side, with a concerned look upon his sun- kissed face. Sora panicked and stumbled forward, almost falling off the platform if not for two pairs of strong arms holding him safe.  
  
"Geez Sora! Be careful!" shouted Tidus. The quiet boy shrugged from his friends' hold and huddled into a tight ball, his face pressed upon his knees. Sora did not know how to face Wakka and Tidus. Hot and desperate tears welled behind his closed eyes. He could not let them see him crying. It would be as good as admitting he was weak.  
  
Wakka's light bulb grin went out the moment Sora nearly toppled off the high tower trying to hide from them. His concern gaze met Tidus' equally troubled eyes. It seems like they had underestimated their little friend.  
  
..............................  
  
"Oh Riku, you look terrible..." Selphie whispered. Kairi nodded in silent agreement.  
  
There were faint shadows under Riku's ocean coloured eyes. His alabaster skin lacked a healthy tinge of pink, as if the older boy had not been sleeping well at night. Riku's trademark sleek silver hair was lacking in shine and looked like a sadly tangled mane. Selphie had always wondered how Riku would look "bad", as she had been secretly envious of her boy friend's natural beauty. However, she wished that she did not get to see Riku looking so wasted under such circumstances. It was obvious to both girls that Riku was cracking under the strain of his relationship, or lack of relationship, with Sora. He stood with his back against the wooden pier. He looked frail and tired, unlike the strong Riku that they all knew.  
  
Riku drew his gaze, from the lone figure seated upon the high tower, to the two girls standing anxiously before him.  
  
"What do you want," snapped Riku, his tone impatient as he wished the girls would leave him alone so that he could go on looking at the person he longed for to be by his side.  
  
Kairi's brow furrowed. Riku was not one to react so harshly.  
  
"Selphie and I want to talk to you about something."  
  
Riku's eyes narrowed. Unaffected by her silver haired friend's hurting stare, Kairi continued, "It's about you and Sora."  
  
"There is nothing to talk about!" Riku replied curtly as he turned and walked away.  
  
Selphie, always the impulsive one, rushed forth and wrapped her arms around Riku's waist to stop him from leaving. Riku scowled as he struggled to pull himself from the younger girl's surprisingly tight grip.  
  
"Kairi! Say something!" exclaimed Selphie.  
  
Kairi was at a loss. Her normally present rationality had deserted her. Of all the possible outcomes that she had thought about of their talk with Riku, him walking out before the conversation even started was not one scenario she had considered.  
  
The redhead shook her head in disappointment as she blurted out her thoughts, "Riku! Since when did you become such a coward?"  
  
Selphie felt Riku's muscles tense the moment Kairi's words made an impact.  
  
Seeing that Riku was responding to what she was saying, Kairi continued, "Are you running away? Is that it Riku? Are you going to run away every time you feel afraid?"  
  
Riku froze in his struggle.  
  
"I am _NOT_ running away. I... I am just irritated by you people pestering me. That's _ALL_!" Riku argued as he shot Kairi a frosted stare. It was as if he Kairi's words had not hit upon a raw spot: His stance aloof and his face expressionless.  
  
For a moment, Kairi felt uncertain about whether she was doing right as she shivered unconsciously from Riku's cold stare. However, Selphie could feel Riku shaking under her hold and she shouted, "He's lying Kairi!"  
  
"Why are you hiding from Sora? Can't you see you are hurting him as well as yourself?"  
  
So many questions, so few answers.  
  
Riku was too used to running from his problems. Selphie could no longer hold him back.  
  
Kairi sighed as she watched Riku escaped from reality. Warm tears filled Selphie's innocent eyes.  
  
"We didn't make it better did we Kairi?"  
  
"Don't cry Selphie..." Kairi comforted the younger girl with a soft hug to make the unhappiness go away, "It may not be as bad as you think."  
  
Silently, she added, _"...I hope."  
_  
..............................  
  
Riku climbed onto another vintage point, a place where he could see Sora again. But instead of just finding the familiar figure alone on the high tower, there were two other people seated by his best friend's sides.  
  
A sharp pang of jealousy cut deeply into his chest.  
  
Cynically, Riku laughed at his foolishness, _"He_ _does not need me... he has other people he can turn to. "  
_  
Riku felt drained of all emotions. He felt cold and alone. ..._and abandoned_.  
  
Kairi was right. Everything she said was correct. Selphie was also accurate in saying that he was lying. Riku had been deceiving himself into thinking that everything would turn out fine if he just avoided it. Running away was the simple solution and it had its consequences.  
  
He did not blame Sora. He knew it was his fault that Sora turned away from him. Riku had pushed his best friend away from his side because Riku was afraid.  
  
..............................  
  
Tidus grinned as he said, "It's okay to cry Sora."  
  
With a weak smile, Sora wiped the tears from his eyes.  
  
Wakka and Tidus' felt empathy for their poor little friend who had just spent the past two hours pouring his heart out. He had not wanted to release all his pent-up emotions but under relentless persuasion, Sora could not help but speak of his sorrows to two pairs of listening ears. He spoke of how he could no longer understand why Riku was avoiding him, treating him like a stranger, and how he tried so hard to keep up a happy front even though he felt himself become more and more unhappy inside.  
  
"Ya gotta speak to Riku ya?" Wakka advised.  
  
Tidus nodded his head in agreement. This was something that the both of them had to work out by themselves.  
  
"Remember what I said I wanted to be when I was young, Wakka?"  
  
Wakka scratched his head in bewilderment. Tidus playfully knocked his oranged haired mate on the head.  
  
"Oh! Ya mean about wanting to become stronger?"  
  
Sora nodded shyly as his cheeks turned pink. Tidus, the most perceptive of the three, instinctively understand what Sora wanted but was too embarrass to say, "Don't worry Sora, you have become strong. Right Wakka?"  
  
Wakka agreed whole-heartedly, "Ya Sora! You have become strong ya!"  
  
Looking at his two friends' heartening smiles, Sora could not help but feel better than he had felt in days. It was as if a large burden had been lifted from his slender shoulders. Hope had been rekindled in his heart and his eyes blazed with brilliant blue as he looked out into the distant waters. It was as if Riku was staring back at him.  
  
As Sora's concentration returned to the aquamarine scenary, Wakka and Tidus exchanged a mischievous grin. Tidus mouthed the words, _"On the count of three.... One... two...."  
_  
"THREE!" Both chunky blitz ball players shouted as they smoldered Sora in an unexpected hug of encouragement.  
  
Their light-hearted peals of laughter echoed throughout the island.  
  
..............................  
  
Dcal's note: Gonna keep you wondering what will happen between Sora and Riku for a while as I stray from this fic to concentrate on doing up a Leon/Cloud ficlet for **Uzumaki**'s challenge! Hopefully, the next update would be a heart-wrenching one as Sora confronts Riku. I just realized that the characterization of Riku and Sora differs vastly from the other characterizations I had done in my other KH fics. Never expected it to into this direction and I am not really fond of writing sad stuff. As usual, the story is straying from the linear plot I had in mind. Still, I am satisfied with how this chapter turned out. I will be happy if you like the fic and review. 


	6. Regret

**Reversal:** Regret

(Standard Disclaimers apply.)

* * *

It was a day that could be described as perfect. The skies were clear with the sun shining brazenly among fluffy white clouds. Plus, there was a cool breeze that took away the mild discomfort the heat on such a sunny day.

Riku walked into the stadium. Instead of heading to the practice field that the other blitz ballers were gathered at, he moved silently towards the rows of empty stadium seats. As he climbed the steps, he could hear the monotonous chant of numbers to calculate the number of sit-ups accomplished. By the time he arrived at his secret spot, shouts of excitement echoed throughout the stadium complex. From his vintage point, he could see the all blitz ballers dividing themselves into different teams. The mock game was about to begin. Since it was just a practice session, the game was to be carried out on dry land. In other words, it was just a normal football game.

But Riku was not interested in the game. His eyes searched the field for the only person who would have a head of mocha brown spikes. _Sora isn't there_. Suddenly, the little spark of _something_ disappeared. It was rapidly replaced by a strange and uncomfortable emotion that Riku was unable to identify. Seeing no point in remaining, Riku turned and left.

Just was he was about to exit the stadium, Riku heard a familiar voice call out to him. He turned. His blue-green eyes flashed with annoyance before turning back to carry on walking, completely ignoring Tidus.

"I saw you up there."

Riku stopped. He thought that it was a blind spot from the field. Apparently he was wrong. Tidus took lengthened strides to catch up with Riku. His hand touched the silver-haired boy's shoulders and was issued a glacial stare that convinced him to retract the friendly gesture.

"Why aren't you attending practice?" Tidus asked. For the past few weeks, Riku had been skipping all blitz ball activities. Thankfully, there were no major league games scheduled or Wakka would have a fit at having one of the team's best scorers being missing in action.

A question usually required an answer but Riku thought otherwise and remained stubbornly silent. Tidus rolled his eyes and walked in front of the other boy to see the passive expression masking Riku's face.

"We are worried, Riku."

Eyes the colour of polished turquoise flickered with agitation.

"Who are _we_?"

Tidus could tell from the slight sneer in Riku's voice that the older boy was not exactly in an amiable mood. Thus, he struggled to find the words to say what he wanted without offending the other boy further. "Erm, the whole crew! Kairi, Selphie, Wakka, me and... Sora."

Riku laughed. The cold, emotionless laugh sent shivers down Tidus' spine.

"So." Riku said, "Why should you all be so worried?"

Tidus hesitated before he replied, "We care about you, Riku. You have not been acting yourself lately..."

The blond boy did not get a chance to finish because Riku interrupted him coldly, "You _care?_ I am sick and tired of you and Kairi butting your noses into my life. I don't need you to tell me how to live my life."

"Riku! Are you listening to yourself? Can't you hear how self-centred you have become?" Tidus' temper flared at Riku's callous words.

Riku titled his chin into a defiant pose, "I can hear myself perfectly loud and clear. Self-centred? I am just looking out for my best interest. Why did I have to live up to your expectations? I do as I please."

Tidus felt sad for his deluded friend, "How can you do this?"

"What exactly am I doing?" Riku asked with nonchalance laced into his question.

"You are hurting Sora! Don't you see that he needs you..." Tidus looked towards the heavens for some divine intervention or the sort to cope with Riku who was remaining obstinate. He was sorely disappointed as the skies turned grey with clouds heavy and ready to rain. A sudden flash of lightening cut through the growing darkness. The angry rumble of thunder followed it.

"Sora? He has always been the one who thinks I need him. Isn't having you and Wakka enough?" Riku paused recalling the unforgettable pain of jealousy that plagued him since he heard their laughter from the wooden tower the day he was confronted by Kairi. "I saw how you three were so close. Hugging each other and all. Sora doesn't need me when he has friends like you. And I never needed him."

"Riku..." Tidus pleaded.

The silver-blond boy lashed out, "Tell Kairi that I am not lying when I say that I don't need some kid who follows me where I go! I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone to protect me. Sora has no right to protect me!"

When Riku saw Tidus look pass him with an anxious gaze, the silver-haired boy had a sense of impending doom. _Not him. Please. Anyone but him._ As if on cue, rain started to fall the moment Riku turned to see Sora's frozen smile melt into a stricken expression.

Riku stood rooted to his spot as he watched Sora's tears fall in sync with tears from the heavens. "Sora... I..."

Before Riku could finish, Sora ran.

"I hope you are happy." Tidus's voice was filled with sarcasm as he shot Riku one last glare before chasing after Sora.

Riku collapsed helplessly onto the soft ground as the rain continued to fall with more and more intensity. He felt numb from the impact of pelting raindrops. All he could think of was how much he wished he could take back all the hurtful words he had said. He knew that what he voiced were the total opposite of what he truly felt. It was fear and uncertainty that goaded him into saying cruel things that were untrue. This time, he had gone too far. In trying to deny everything, runaway from everything, Riku rejected the only person he cared about. His words were harsh and Riku knew it cut Sora deeply. He saw pain fill those innocent blue eyes and fall. _Maybe... just maybe... if I had gone after him... I could have taken the pain away..._But Riku panicked and froze. He had no courage to go after Sora.

No matter how long Riku kneeled under the rain, it could not wash away the regret that assaulted his senses.

* * *

Dcal's note: You are probably cursing me right now for posting this very short angst-filled chapter. Forgive me. I had to pump myself with depressing love songs and sappy OSTs before I could stumble over that nasty writer's block that kept me from continuing this fic. I promise I will try to make things better between poor Riku and Sora soon.


	7. Hurt

**Dcal's note:** Finally got around to writing this out. I was drained of any inspiration to finish the scenario I put poor Riku and Sora in lately. Ideas only came when I reread the stories that sparked this fic off in the first place. I am getting too used to writing angst and drama. I should write something light hearted BUT that will not be happening in this chapter. I am afraid the misunderstanding between Riku and Sora is going to get worst here. I promise that things will get better after this part of the fic so bear with the angst for now. With that warning aside, I would like to dedicate this chapter to _VampssAmby10210_ because she reviewed every single chapter of this fic XD. Many thanks to _Uzumaki-sama_ for her encouraging reviews too! Lastly, I would like to thank _Princess Of Mirrors_ for her feedback on "Reversal" (and also for supporting me every step of the way when I was writing "Mr Destiny Islands".) Okay, 'nuff mush-talk.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and the characters involved are not mine (unless my secret plot to take over Squaresoft and Disney actually succeeds in the future.)

* * *

**Reversal**: Hurt

After resetting his alarm clock twice then falling back to sleep each time, Sora was finally freed from the temptation of languishing in bed on a perfect morning by the third time the overworked alarm clock rang its heart out.

He stretched and yawned like a lazy kitten, just awaken from a satisfying nap, before sitting up drowsily from under a blanket of notepaper. Sleepily, Sora peeled off a scrap piece of paper, with sprawling words written on it with a bright blue marker, off his forehead. Sora sat up and shook his head to clear his clouded thoughts. He looked the mess around him blankly, his mind not yet able to comprehend why he was awake. However, his eyes sparkled to life when his gaze settled on half a torn page with Riku's name written boldly in brilliant blue. The pieces of paper that were torn roughly from the spiral spine of an innocent notebook were evidence of Sora's attempts at penning down his thoughts and emotions.

His conversation with Tidus and Wakka made him understand that he could no longer pretend that things would become better if he faked ignorance. He had to face up to the situation and take initiative to approach his skittish friend that kept pushing him away. Sora could only become stronger if he was able to put aside his fear and confront his emotions. Up till now Sora still harboured the notion that he would always be able to stay by Riku's side if he was strong enough to protect his best from all harm.

Sora arranged the scattered pages into an untidy pile and shoved it conveniently under his pillow. Then he got off his bed with a little hop and headed for a shower. After emerging from a hot bath, Sora hummed a happy tune as skipped to the kitchen to see his mother making his favourite breakfast.

Using a single hand to dry his wet hair with a stripped towel, Sora used his free hand to scoop spoonfuls of buttery eggs into his mouth. His mother smiled at the contented grin that curved Sora's lips when he had polished off the scrambled eggs together with bites of toast covered with a thick layer of blueberry jam. Sora threw his damp towel into the laundry basket and looked towards the wall clock to find out that he was late for morning blitz ball practice. He gave his mother a kiss on her cheek as he stole an apple from the bowl of fruits she was holding and shouted a brief good-bye while picking up his knapsack and ran out of the house. Sora's mother whispered a silent prayer to wish that her only son and kin would be able to have a happy day as she watched the bubbly boy disappear down the street.

XXXXX

By the time he reached the blitz ball stadium, Sora's team mates had already completed warm up exercises and were about to split into teams to play a mock game of land blitz (blitz ball on land). He blushed sheepishly as his blitz ball friends teased him about being late on purpose to skip the gruelling exercises prior to actual blitz ball training. As 'punishment', Sora was not allowed to participate in the first half of land blitz.

Sora meekly took his place on the reserves bench next to Wakka who was sitting by the sidelines due to his status as the team's temporary coach. The blue-eyed boy sighed as he leaned back against the wall behind the wooden bench.

"He's not here again ya?"

"Oro?"

Wakka smiled weakly as he turned his attention from the game to the forlorn looking boy next to him. "Riku's missing."

Sora nodded, his eyes filled with disappointment. The first thing that Sora did when he had stepped into the stadium was to instinctively look out for a familiar face framed by shoulder length silver hair. However, the day was not different from the other blitz ball practice sessions lately with Riku's absence painfully obvious to Sora.

"Don't worry, Sora. You talked to him ya?" Wakka asked.

The brown haired boy looked up to see the redhead's concern expression and replied honestly, "No, I haven't got the chance to talk to Riku yet. Thanks for comforting me Wakka! The advice given to me by Tidus and you has been really helpful."

Wakka grinned as he slapped Sora's back playfully and said, "All Tidus-mon and I want is for you and Riku to be happy again."

Enthusiastically, Sora gave the chunky redhead an impromptu hug. The latter laughed, amused by the brunette's sudden act of gratitude. Wakka joked, "Tidus-mon will be jealous if he doesn't get a hug from you too."

Sora let go of Wakka and looked around to realise that Tidus missing. Before the question left Sora lips, Wakka pointed towards the stadium exit and answered, "He went that way."

Flashing the blitz ball captain a grateful smile, Sora ran out of the stadium. He did not notice that the sunlight was desperately trying to shine through ominous grey clouds. The wind was no longer a light breeze but had gather strength to whistle as it slipped through the intricate network of branches from trees lined along Sora's path.

Nothing could remain perfect for long as illustrated by the sudden reversal of nature.

Similarly, Sora was about to find out that his perfect plan to ensure that he could remain forever by Riku's side was not so perfect after all.

XXXXX

Sora did not need to walk very far before he caught sight of the back of a person he had been looking for. He felt his heart skip a beat when he recognise the silver glint of his Riku's straight hair. Though he was initially looking for Tidus, Sora was deliriously happy to be able to find his best friend instead. He was about to call out to the silver-haired boy when he caught realised that Tidus was facing Riku and talking to the silver-haired boy. Sora had no qualms about interrupting their conversation and he picked up his pace as ran towards the two figures, determined to surprise them.

As he got closer, he waved towards the blond boy who had finally noticed his arrival. Sora was too excited to notice the alarmed expression on Tidus' face. The brunette wanted to shout out Riku's name immediately but he had to pause in order to catch his breath from running too fast. Just as Sora found his voice to air his euphoria at finding his elusive friend, he heard Riku's angry words...

"..._I don't need some kid who follows me where I go! I can take care of myself. I don't need anyone to protect me. Sora has no right to protect me!" _

XXXXX

He could not remember how he ended up back in the comforting darkness of his room.

All this knew was that the moment Riku's words sank into his consciousness, Sora felt as if he heart had fallen into an endless abyss. His mind went blank except for what was said about him by his closest friend. He prayed that the words spoken by the older boy was pure falsehood but Sora faintly remembered the rapid change of emotions within Riku's aquamarine eyes. It was filled with anger (denial) then replaced by guilt (regret). However, the tears that fell instinctively from his eyes blurred his vision and he was not sure whether what he could trust what he sawl.

Sora shivered because of the chill from his clothes, wet from the rain that had fallen as he ran from Riku. Yet, Sora felt a deeper and numbing coldness fill his soul with a sudden emptiness and void that Riku's words had invoked within him. His brown hair lost its vibrant nature and fell lamely in wet locks plastered against his face and neck. His slender figure hunched into a foetus position, eyes shut to block the pain. His face was pale and blank of any emotion except for his trembling lips that betrayed his hurt emotions.

He did not hear the door open.

XXXXXX

Tidus had chased after Sora. While the brunette ran up to his room without a word, the blond boy felt that he should stop and explain briefly the situation to Sora's bewildered mother. She shook her head sadly as she took out dry towels and told Tidus to dry up first before bring another towel to her son's room. Her eyes sparkled with concern as she said, "It's Riku isn't it?"

The blond looked up into the middle-aged woman's liquid brown eyes and nodded. "They haven't been the same. I don't know what happened between Riku and Sora but it is saddening to see two such close friends turn out this way. Riku said some really hurtful things. I feel that he was behaving childishly, keeping his true feeling to himself. He's not been fair to Sora!"

"Tidus," she said gently, "You're still young. Maybe Riku has his own emotion to deal with and just doesn't know how to express himself. Don't judge the boy just yet. Now, take this towel up to Sora."

Tidus nodded, her delicate words gave the boy food for thought. It never occurred to him that maybe Riku was also confused and having problems dealing with the situation. His thoughts drifted back to the discussion he had with Kairi, Selphie and Wakka. He then realised that while they could sympathize with Sora's plight, they had been oblivious to the possibility that Riku might be equally vulnerable. To the group, Riku had always been the one who appeared stronger and in control, which contrasted Sora's naivety and blissful ignorance. But after talking to Sora that day on the tower, Tidus could not help but admit that he had misjudged Sora's perceptiveness and was surprised to discover Sora's sensitive nature. _Perhaps, we have been wrong about Riku..._

XXXXXX

Sora felt the softness of the thick and fluffy towel as Tidus pressed it into the brunette's arms. He looked up to see Tidus' warm smile and concern eyes.

"If you don't dry up soon, you are going to catch a cold. Wakka will have my head if you fall ill and miss next weeks big game."

A weak smile played upon Sora's lips before it crumbled into a sad pout. Tidus' words had only distracted Sora fleetingly before the brunette sank back into his overwhelming emotions. The blond boy released an exaggerated sigh.

"My, my. I never knew you were such a crybaby Sora. I wonder what Selphie will say..." Tidus fluttered his lashes and continued in a high-pitched voice, mimicking the mentioned girl, "Ho ho ho! Sora cried? I though big boys don't cry? Isn't that what you said Sora? Ho ho ho!"

Sora's eyes widened in surprise at Tidus impromptu imitation of Selphie. The blond looked absolutely comically batting his eyelashes while wrapping his towel around his hips, creating a makeshift skirt. Despite his aching heart, Sora laughed.

"Ah! What will Kairi say?" Tidus asked Sora his imaginary audience, before launching into another Kairi imitation, "Tsk tsk, Sora why are you crying? You want some candy? Will that make you feel better? Has bad, bad Riku been bullying you again? Let me beat him up for you! No one hurts Kairi's little Sora-wora."

Fresh tears rose to his eyes but this time, it was because of the uncontrollable amusement that Tidus' outrageous performance invoked.

Seeing a faint smile return onto Sora's reddened face, Tidus rolled his eyes, relieved that his embarrassing performance was not wasted. The blond sat down next to Sora and waited patiently for the younger boy to calm down. '"Feeling better?"

The brown-haired boy nodded. "Thanks Tidus."

"No problem."

Silence descended upon the room. Both boys sat side by side, watching the rain dance upon the glass windows. Sora tentatively unfolded the towel and wrapped it around himself while Tidus lazily dried his hair with his own. Minutes past before Tidus spoke without looking at Sora. "Wanna talk?"

Sora took a deep breath, calming his thoughts, his emotions. "Am I... I really a burden?"

Tidus shook his head, as he answered, "Of course not. Riku said all those hurtful words in a fit of angry. I am sure he doesn't mean it."

"But... but... he had been avoiding me. He... doesn't want me anymore does he?"

The smile on Tidus' face faded. Sora's voice was filled with misery and insecurity. It made Tidus sad to see his friend in such a defeated state. As much as Tidus wanted to turn Riku's pretty face into pulp for the way he was treating Sora, he had to be objective about the situation.

"Despite his idiotic behaviour and mindless words, I have to say that Riku needs you. Without your strength Sora, Riku would just be that poor little rich boy, living in loneliness. Trust me when I say that Riku is merely very confused about what he is feeling right now and that the truth is you are more important than you think you are to him." Tidus explained confidently.

"Really?" Sora's was soft and filled with uncertainty. He did not want to keep his hopes up and risk getting hurt further.

Putting his arm around Sora's frail shoulders, Tidus gave Sora a brotherly hug.

"Have more faith in yourself. Remember what your goal is? By overcoming this, I am sure you will emerge stronger, Sora."

"Thanks Tidus."

"What are friends for ya? Damn, I am starting to sound more and more like Wakka. Oh no! I am becoming a redhead!! This cannot be happening! I like being blond!" whined Tidus.

Sora brushed the tears from his eyes, smiling at Tidus behaving like a ditz in an attempt to amuse him. With Tidus' encouragement, Sora felt better and was lifted from the melancholy that he had been trapped in since facing Riku's harsh words. It still hurt but Sora resolved to put aside the pain. He could not break down now. It would just mean he was too weak and that was the last thing he wanted to be.

When Tidus left his room for dinner at home, Sora sat alone in the darkness. His thoughts revolved around his memories with Riku and the myriad of emotions attached to every remembrance. The pale moon lit a silvery path of light that entered into the dark room, settling upon a neglected pile of crumple letters peeking out from under a pillow. Sora's eyes, puffy from crying too much, lit up at the sight of the familiar notepaper. Scrambling to his feet, Sora stumbled to his bed and pulled out the words he had penned down. Looking at each and every word he had written, Sora was inspired and formulated a new battle plan to confront his best friend. He would not give up.

Sora resolved to become stronger.

* * *

Dcal's unnecessary ending note:

Just wanted to say that Sora and Tidus' relationship is purely platonic. There was never the intention to hint at a possible Tidus/Sora pairing. I just realised that Sora gets most of the limelight in this fic. Poor Riku is getting sorely neglected. Next chapter will be interesting (I hope) and things will get even more complicated between Riku and Sora. The good news is that I finally know where this fic is going and it is just a matter of getting all the ideas written out. In other words, this piece of work is ending soon! Forgive any technical errors in the fic as I have not solicited any beta-reader for this. Ah... and yes, I shall pimp my Leon/Cloud fic. If you like something fluffy, check out my completed Kh fic about Leon and Cloud (with Riku and Sora side story) titled "All because of you".

I will appreciate reviews because it helps me know what people think about my writing. It also boosts my ego and motivates me to write.


	8. Misunderstood

_(standard disclaimers apply, in other words, I don't own Riku, Sora or any of the other KH characters.)_

**Misunderstood**

Kairi put away the basket of laundry that she had saved from the sudden downpour before she headed towards the kitchen to make herself some hot tea. There was nothing like the aroma of Jasmine from hot amber coloured tea, mingled with the fresh smell of summer rain.

She mindlessly stirred the sweet smelling beverage with a silver teaspoon. The thin handle of the spoon reflected the frown on Kairi's face as she thought about how she could help her two best friends get back together. Her mind kept churning possibilities and ideas that did not seem to be practical or useful. Finally, she gave up and took a sip from her mug, only to realise that the tea was no longer hot, the way she liked it.

Shaking her head, Kairi poured away the tepid drink.

Kairi walked to her small stove and turned on the fire to reheat the kettle of water for another cup of tea. As she waited for the water to boil, Kairi took out another tea bag from its paper sachet and set it into her favourite mug. It was a lovely lavender coloured ceramic mug that had been a gift from Sora and Riku on her last birthday. Kairi could not remember when her real birthday was so they decided that they would celebrate it on the day she had arrived on the island instead. A faint smile surfaced on Kairi's face as she held the mug close to her heart childishly.

They were like her family.

Sora, with his sweet disposition and sensitive nature, was like a younger brother that longed to find ways to make her smile. There were countless memories of Sora's goofy attempts at cheering her up when she was down. Riku, on the other hand, was not so obvious in displaying his emotions but Kairi could sense that he would secretly look out for her, like a reliable older brother. She knew that the reason she was never ostracized as an outsider was due to the fact that she had the two boys. Sora had the charisma that charmed the island's folk into accepting Kairi as he did with open arms. If he didn't take the first step to acknowledge her, Kairi was not sure that she would have been integrated so easily into the community.

Credit had to go to Riku too as he provided her with the means of survival on the island. It was of no coincidence that the family that took Kairi in was able to do so if not for Riku's intervention. There were few families on the island that would accept a stranger like her into their lives. Her foster parents were willing to treat her like their own but did not have the means to do so because of they poor financial background. That was when Riku stepped in and offered her foster father a job in his mansion. The paid was ridiculously high for someone hired just to mow the lawn every two weeks. But with the extra income, Kairi was given a warm home and a loving foster family.

The high-pitched ring of her insolent doorbell abruptly interrupted Kairi's recollections. She gently put her beloved mug on the table before walking briskly to the front door. When she opened it, she could not believe her eyes... …

* * *

Kairi was rooted the ground with shock as she could not accept the scene that was delivered to her doorstep.

This was the first time Kairi had seen Riku so_… devastated._

He stood under the relentless downpour and his eyes were red, as if he had cried and was using the rain to mask the tears that had filled his eyes. There was this sense of loneliness and insecurity in the way he stood, unaware of the fact that he was drenched to the core. For once, Riku did not have his guard up or wore a front of indifference. In his face, Kairi saw sadness.

"Riku…" Kairi was at a loss for words, unable to say anything coherent other than the name of the boy before her. It took more than a minute for rationality drag her out of her stupor. When she realised what was going on, she quickly pulled Riku into the shelter of her home's narrow doorway and out of the cold rain. She then went to get a fresh towel and a set of her foster father's clothes before ushering Riku into the bathroom and ordered him to take a hot bath. After she closed the bathroom door behind her, Kairi sighed as she made her way back to the kitchen. Kairi replaced the kettle on her stove with a pot as she took out the ingredients to make soup. There was nothing like a hot bowl of soup on a rainy day.

All this while, Riku remained quiet, which should not come as a surprise due to his detached nature. However, his silence was not that of the norm. It was as if Riku did not know how to express himself. Kairi wisely refrained from asking any question as she could sense that he was not ready to say anything. She just hoped that whenever Riku was prepared to open his heart to her, she would be able to help him out.

Riku walked into the kitchen cautiously, his steps hesitant as his thoughts in his mind whirled in confusion. He silently looked at Kairi, unsure of what to do.

"What are you doing Riku? Standing there like a statue? Tsk tsk, come over here and take a seat while I pour you a bowl of soup." Kairi's voice was laced with warmth and understanding as she addressed her lost friend.

Obediently, Riku walked to the tiny kitchen table and sat on one of the sturdy stools around it. After a minute, a hot bowl of creamy mushroom soup arrived before Riku and Kairi put a silver spoon into his hand before returning to the stove to dish herself a bowl of the soup.

When Kairi settle down opposite Riku, she realised that the boy was just staring blankly at the spoon in his hand. _Oh dear… this looks really bad. _Riku was worse shape than she thought.

"Ah… Riku, the spoon is for you to drink the soup with. It's not there to be admired."

Kairi's words broke through Riku's daze and he focused on finishing the hot soup before him.

A comfortable silence descended upon the room and was only broken when Riku decided to speak.

"I… hurt him."

Kairi did not respond with words but with a soft gaze that encouraged Riku to continue.

"I said some things that weren't true. And he was behind me. He heard everything. I didn't mean it when I said that I didn't need him… I… I just didn't want to be the weak one! I don't him to keep protecting me because I want to be the one strong enough to take care of him! I… I want to be the one protecting… because… he means so much to me…"

* * *

Images of the past flashed through Riku's mind and in those memories, he could see how important Sora had become to him. The reason why he was feeling so frustrated with their relationship is that he knew that he was capable of taking care of himself and did not need Sora to keep mothering him. Instead, Riku wanted to be the one that Sora could rely on. He wanted Sora to see him as an equal. As a partner. But he did not know how to express this desire of his and the only way he knew how to deal with this situation was to keep his emotions bottled up. Yet, as he struggled with his feelings and thoughts, he had unwittingly distanced himself from Sora.

When Tidus had confronted him today, Riku cracked. All the frustration within him just exploded without a thought. Riku's words were spoken harshly with the intent of deflecting Tidus' probing, as Riku was still unable to face his own emotions. He never thought that the gods would play a cruel joke on him by letting Sora hear all the words he never should have voiced. He watched Sora's smile fade before he turned and disappeared behind the sheets of rain. A dismal daze blinded his vision as regret flooded his senses and he wondered if it would be the last time he would ever see Sora smile at him again. Panic overwhelmed him as the rain chilled his senses. A voice of consciousness invoked a question he never dared to answer_: " Since when did you become such a coward?"

* * *

_

"… I don't want to run anymore. Kairi, I don't want to hurt Sora anymore."

The helplessness in Riku's voice pulled at Kairi's heartstrings and the girl fought back the urge to cry on behalf for her friends' plight. "You have to talk to Sora. Stop avoiding him."

"But… I am scared that he wouldn't be willing to listen to me… after what I did…"

"Then you will just have to find a way around it! You can't give up now. There is just too much to lose. Explain your feelings to Sora and I am sure he will understand." Kairi paused before adding, "Don't you want to show Sora that you are dependable? That you are as strong as he is? This is your chance to prove yourself!"

Riku closed his eyes and thought about Kairi's words. When he opened them, Kairi could see the resolve within his magnificent turquoise eyes and she smiled. Things were about to take a turn for the better.

* * *

Dcal's note: _GAH! Sorry for the long wait. I really couldn't help it. There were just too many distractions from school, work and etc that kept me from working on this fic. Anyways, this fic should be done soon and I promised I will try to wrap things up as fast as I can! In the meanwhile, I hope you like this chapter!_

_Edit: Whoopsie… I made quite a lot of spelling mistakes in this chapter, as I did in other chapters… sweatdrop I tried clearing some of the mistakes but I am not perfect so forgive me. _


	9. Showdown

**Reversal: Showdown**

_(standard disclaimers apply, in other words, I don't own Riku, Sora or any of the other KH characters.)_

* * *

Discouraged, Riku sat down on the sand beach, unable to appreciate the tranquillity of the ocean before him. 

A golden shimmer spread itself across the horizon as the sun gently excused itself from the sky's canvas. A wind from across the waters washed across the beach and blew over Riku, making his untied hair a tangled mess of silver. The day's departure heralded the entrance of the moon, appearing as just a slip of silver amidst the backdrop of crystal stars.

Oblivious of the beauty of nature, Riku's mind was shrouded with thoughts and emotions of the past week.

He was missing his shadow.

If the realisation occurred to him a week ago, Riku would have sighed in relief. However, after his conversation with Kairi, Riku was anxious to confront Sora instead of avoiding the latter like before.

After sorting out his thoughts and feelings, Riku decided to act on impulse and paid a visit to Sora's home. The boy had cautiously scaled the tree leading to the second story window of his best friend's house. But when his sharp eyes took in the disaster that was Sora's room, Riku could not find who he was looking for. Which was surprising since it was almost two in the morning and that Sora had never been one to be awake at such an ungodly hour. Understandably disappointed and partially confused, Riku slipped down the tree and went back home, resolving to find Sora the next morning.

Yet, despite his determination, Sora proved to be more elusive than expected, as he remained missing throughout the rest of the week. Riku was positive that he had searched every nook and cranny that could possibly serve as a hideout for Sora. He was even reduced to asking everyone he saw whether they had seen Sora, something that was challenging for Riku who was famous for his quiet aloofness.

Riku felt a sense of helplessness, as he never expected something like this to occur. Although he himself was guilty for treating Sora similarly, Riku could never stay hidden for long as the other boy would be able to find him no matter where he tried to hide. It was as if Sora had the ability to know where he was. Riku felt frustrated, and quite ashamed, at not being able to do the same.

Yet, if Riku was not so caught up in his blind search for his missing friend, he might have noticed that Sora's disappearance was not the only thing amiss on the island…

XXXXXXXXXX

"Ne, Sora… Do you really think this would work?"

Selphie eyed the boy who was crouching beside her. She would gladly do anything to help out a friend. However, she was not so sure that the plan Sora had came up with would be a success as it seemed totally cliche and ridiculous. When Sora had first proposed the plan to her, she thought that it was really sweet and romantic. But now that she has more time to think about it, Selphie realised that it might not really work out because of the simple fact that Riku was involved.

Just as Selphie was about to open her mouth to convince Sora to give up, as they were about to embark on a suicide mission, part one of the plan kicked into action.

Sora signalled for Selphie to quiet down before turning to watch three masked men creep from different directions towards the lone figure on the beach. Scary music from those horror movies flooded Selphie's imagination and served as background music to the scene being played before her. It didn't help that it was well into the night, making things around them hard to see with only the slim moon as the only light source.

She felt cold sweat run down her back when one masked stranger grabbed Riku from behind. Beside her, Sora bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from shouting a warning to Riku. After all, things were going according to what was planned…

XXXXXXXXXX

… Riku's guard was down when someone suddenly grabbed him from behind and immobilised his movements by pinning his arms firmly behind his back.

Green eyes flashed in annoyance but their owner did struggle against the unexpected restrain. Instead, Riku calmly questioned, "What do you want?"

Another two masked men circled their prey before one of them, presumably the leader of the trio, stepped forward. Riku's eyes narrowed. The man was tall and there were not many islanders with such height. The dark made it hard to notice any details of the stranger's face that was not covered by a Zorro-like half mask. However, the snide curve of his lips did not escape Riku's shrewd observations.

"What do you think, pretty boy?"

Riku clenched his jaw, not amused by the thug's description of his appearance. As riled as Riku was, his voice reflected a cool calmness, retorting, "Are you jealous of my beauty?"

The ocean breeze drowned a deep laughter as the masked leader displayed his amusement vocally. Tapping two fingers against his mask, the man replied, "This face fairs well enough with the ladies. I don't need a pretty face like yours to make them jealous."

The third thug, who had been standing behind his leader like a faithful guard dog, stepped forth and whispered something to his superior.

"Ah… it seems that I have been sidetracked. We haven't been properly introduced have we? I apologize," The man bowed mockingly before continuing, "These two fine men and I are but humble kidnappers. We wish to make some livelihood by capturing a ransom like you. We hope to have your cooperation in our endeavour."

Rolling his eyes at the stranger's passionate speech of his vocation, Riku scoffed, "I am rich, not stupid. Trying to sweet talk me into cooperating with you? What makes you think that you would be able to actually kidnap me?"

"It's three against one. The odds are not exactly in your favour." The man flicked his wrist and Riku felt the hold around his lower arms tighten.

Enough was enough, Riku dig his elbows his captor's gut and pulled an arm free. The man that held Riku down didn't expect such a manoeuvre. The next thing he knew was that his face was buried in the sandy ground. Another masked man immediately rushed to restrain Riku but was easily knocked out with a left hook and body flip. He too tasted the salty grains of sand.

It was down to Riku and the trio's leader. Unlike his lackeys, the remaining masked man radiated an aura of battle, the sign of a highly skilled fighter. And Riku knew that the man before him would not be an easy opponent.

The atmosphere was tense as Riku's gaze was locked with those across him. Neither took action. They were waiting for the right moment…

XXXXXXXXXX

Sora waited for his cue to appear as the knight in shining armor, but it never came. However, there were more important things on his mind. Like how Riku had just tossed two men, both who were easily twice his weight, over his shoulders as if they were empty sacks and knocked the wind out of them.

He was too absorbed with watching the unexpected chain of events unfold to notice that his jaw was unhinged, leaving his mouth open to form a neat oval shape. He looked absolutely ridiculous with the shocked, bordering on mortified, expression plastered on his face. The girl beside him faired no better as she was also surprised with what had just occurred before her and her eyes were as wide as teacup saucers.

It was Selphie who first snapped out of her stunned stupor. She instinctively turned and latched onto Sora's left arm, shaking him as viciously as she could while frantically asking, "Whatarewegoingdo!They'regoingtofight!Ohdear!"

"Ah… uhm… …I..I don…don't… know…" Sora stuttered a reply as he finally caught Selphie's anxious gaze. They both continued to stare at each other, as if the answer to their dilemma would magically appear out of thin air for them.

Suddenly, there was a loud splash, which prompted Sora to stumble out of his hiding place, with Selphie in tow.

What happened next caused one of them to scream, and the other to faint…

XXXXXXXXXX

Before anyone could make clear on what the blazes was going on, a frighteningly high-pitched wail rang out to haunt to silent night. It was not a lost banshee or a fire alarm that caused the deafening noise. The scream belonged to no one other than the island sweetheart, Selphie.

She started regretting her decision to help Sora the moment she found herself hiding together with Sora in the abandoned seaside shack to spy on Riku. If not for her helping Sora, she would not have lost her 'innocence'… her blissful ignorance… her… her… 'purity'!

Hence, nobody could really blame Selphie for lashing out her 'pain' in the form of a pitiful howl that probably ended up waking everyone on the island. She would have continued to 'sing' of her loss if not for an annoyed yell that went along the lines of, "Shut up, Selphie! OR I will make sure it will be the last time you ever make a squeak!"

A man who looked to be around a good five years older than Selphie issued the threat. Selphie barely dared to make a peep as she carefully avoided looking at the reason for her distress, which was not coincidentally the person who handed her the death note.

Irvine shook his head and beads of salt water flew off the tips of his wet hair. His mask had been ripped off his face and now laid on the wet sand… along with the rest of his clothes.

XXXXXXXXXX

While Selphie and Sora were obsessed with panicking, they missed the scene whereby Riku cleverly dodged Irvine's rugby assault. After which, Irvine swiftly twisted around to aim a right hook at the younger boy but was blocked off by an defensive forearm that easily blocked off the attack. The next attack came from Riku who delivered Irvine a neat kick in the stomach and another that the latter was barely able to avoid by side stepping to the left in pain. The younger boy reached out and easily grabbed the mask off Irvine's face and smirked as he commented, "My my, you are not that ugly after all!"

Riku grinned as his gaze mocked his failed kidnapper who was hunched over from the pain. Irvine cursed rather eloquently as he clutched his stomach, wondering how a kid who was half his size could be capable of delivering such a powerful blow. The man then realized that Selphie's description of her silver haired friend was terribly misleading as Riku was obviously not was weak as she and Sora portrayed him to be. Hence, Irvine shrugged off his heavy outer coat and unbuttoned his inner shirt. He ditched his playful stance and adopted a more serious approach, careful not to underestimate his opponent anymore.

As a trained fighter, Riku could easily sense the change in Irvine's attitude towards the situation and he smiled, glad that the man was finally taking him seriously. He felt the adrenaline rush warm his blood as he prepared for the next attack that came in the form of a rapid series of punches and kicks. But Riku was more than capable of blocking off the assaults and he calmly stopped Irvine in mid attack by grabbing the latter's silver belt buckle and hurled his opponent into the water.

It all happened in a matter of a few minutes and when Irvine landed in the ocean with a satisfying splash, it lured Selphie and Sora out of their hiding place.

Irvine staggered to an upright position and felt like a drowned rodent, like a half-naked mole rat to be more specific. The reason for his situation lay in Riku's hands as the boy had conveniently 'forgot' to let go of the belt he had hold of and Irvine literally fled out of his pants. The only clothes left on Irvine was a pair of cotton boxers and his linen shirt that ended up being plastered onto him like a second skin due to his foray into the ocean waters.

Hence, when Selphie stumbled out into the open, the first thing that met her eyes was Irvine's less than decent appearance, which promptly shattered her 'innocence' eyes. A more world-wise woman might have appreciated the sight of Irvine's buff body, but Selphie still a little too young to be ready for such 'exciting' imagery yet and she feared that she would never recover from her shock. Thus, she felt compelled to let out that heart-wrenching wail.

As for Sora, he only remembered feeling the blood rush fast into head, making him dizzy and it only took a sec of Selphie's screaming to cause him to blackout. Between the nanoseconds of consciousness and oblivion, he felt a familiar warmth surround him. It was Riku. He had instinctively rushed forth to cushion Sora's fall.

* * *

Dcal's Note: I promise that I will finish this very very soon. And I know that Irvine is supposed to be the same age as Selphie but I am making the assumption that if he was in KH, he would be like Leon etc...more would be explained in the next chapter as his relationship with Selphie will 'come to light'. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten that Riku and Sora are the main characters of the story! This is actually the second last chapter and the next update will be the ending! Thanks for the reviews people! I love reviews! -hint hint- 


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